Hotpot is a popular Chinese dish that consists of a simmering metal pot of stock at the table filled with a variety of ingredients. It is a versatile dish that allows diners to customize their hotpot experience by choosing their own ingredients to add to the communal pot. Some key questions when making hotpot are what broth to use, what meats and vegetables to include, what dipping sauces to offer, and how to properly prepare and cook the ingredients. This article will explore common answers to the question “What do you usually put in the hotpot?” by examining typical proteins, vegetables, broths, and dipping sauces that comprise this interactive meal.
Common Hotpot Broths
The foundation of any hotpot meal is the simmering broth in which ingredients are cooked at the table. There are two main categories of hotpot broth:
Spicy Broths
Many popular Sichuan, Hunan, and Mongolian styles of hotpot feature a bright red, fiery broth flavored with chili peppers and chili oil. Common spicy hotpot broth ingredients include:
– Dried red chilies
– Sichuan peppercorns
– Garlic
– Ginger
– Spices like star anise and cinnamon
– Chili oil
– Sesame oil
– Soy sauce
– Chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
The spicy broth infuses the cooked ingredients with addictive mala (numbing and spicy) flavors.
Mild Broths
Lighter Chinese hotpot broths like Pork Bone soup bases provide a milder, cleaner backdrop for ingredients to shine through. Typical mild broth ingredients include:
– Pork or chicken bones
– Water spinach
– Sliced ginger
– Scallions
– Onions
– Mushrooms like wood ear or shiitake
– Soy sauce
– Rice wine
– Rock sugar
– Chicken or vegetable stock
The milder broth allows the natural flavors of the ingredients to come through.
Popular Hotpot Meat and Seafood
Thinly sliced meats are commonly used in hotpot to cook quickly in the simmering broth. Popular hotpot meat choices include:
Beef
Thinly sliced ribeye, sirloin, tripe, tongue, or brisket work well. They cook fast and absorb flavors.
Lamb
Sliced lamb shoulder or leg meat is tender and soaks up broth flavors.
Pork
Lean pork slices cook fast, especially tenderloin, shoulder, and belly cuts.
Chicken
Sliced chicken breast, thigh meat, or offal like hearts, livers, and kidneys are common.
Seafood
Shrimp, squid, fish balls, scallops, crab sticks, fish fillets, and mussels are popular seafood choices.
Duck
Thin slices of duck breast or leg meat add rich flavor to hotpot.
Common Hotpot Vegetables
A variety of fresh vegetables are essential in hotpot to balance out the meats. Some commonly used hotpot vegetables include:
Mushrooms
Shiitake, oyster, button, enoki, and wood ear mushrooms add hearty umami flavors.
Leafy Greens
Bok choy, baby bok choy, yu choy, choy sum, and spinach quickly wilt in the broth.
Sliced Vegetables
Cabbage, carrots, potato slices, lotus root, and winter melon soak up broth flavors.
Bean Sprouts and Noodles
Bean sprouts and rice noodles cook fast at the end to soak up potent broth tastes.
Popular Hotpot Dipping Sauces
An array of dipping sauces allows customizing flavors and textures while eating hotpot ingredients. Popular options include:
Soy Sauce-Based Dips
Mixes of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, chilies, sesame oil, cilantro and scallions are common.
Sesame Sauce
Toasted sesame seeds ground into paste and mixed with oil, vinegar, sugar and spices.
Spicy Chile Oil
Drizzling straight chile oil on ingredients adds intense heat.
Hoisin Sauce
Thick, sweet Chinese barbecue sauce balances richer meats.
Peanut Sauce
Chopped peanuts blended into a sweet and nutty sauce for dipping.
How to Prepare Hotpot Ingredients
Proper preparation of ingredients is key for a successful hotpot experience:
Slice Meats and Proteins Thinly
Cut beef, lamb, pork, chicken, seafood into very thin slices or bite-sized pieces so they cook quickly. Partially freeze meats to easily slice thinly.
Cut Vegetables into Bite-Sized Pieces
Trim and slice veggies like mushrooms, greens, cabbage into thin pieces or strips to cook fast.
Soak Harder Vegetables
Soak dense root vegetables like potatoes in water beforehand so they cook through.
Blanch Certain Vegetables
Blanch firm veggies like broccoli or asparagus briefly to help them cook.
Prepare Dipping Sauces
Mix together soy sauce, sesame pastes, oil, chili sauces, spices and fresh herbs in small dishes for dipping.
Cook Items in Stages
Divide ingredients into batches to avoid overcrowding the pot and cook harder items first, soft and quick cooking items last.
How to Cook Hotpot
There are techniques for cooking perfect hotpot every time:
Heat Broth to a Simmer
Heat stock, aromatics, and spices to a gentle simmer in a divided pot or electric cooker at the table.
Cook Hard Proteins and Vegetables First
Add beef, lamb, root vegetables, mushrooms and let simmer partially covered for a few minutes.
Quickly Cook Tender Proteins and Vegetables
Add sliced chicken, pork, seafood, greens and noodles at the end to briefly cook through.
Keep Pot Simmering
Maintain a gentle simmer, replenishing with stock and ingredients as needed.
Dip Cooked Ingredients in Sauces
Dip freshly cooked items into prepared sauce mixtures right away to soak up maximum flavor.
Drink Broth at the End
Ladle the flavorful broth into bowls with noodles or rice once done cooking ingredients to enjoy.
Conclusion
Hotpot is highly customizable, but most recipes contain a spicy or mild broth, thinly sliced meats, a colorful variety of vegetables, and flavorful dipping sauces. The keys are preparing ingredients properly, cooking items in stages, keeping the pot at a simmer, and dipping cooked foods immediately into sauces. With so many possibilities, part of the fun is experimenting with different broths, ingredients, and dips to find your ideal hotpot combination. Get creative and switch up recipes to put together the perfect hotpot tailored to your tastes.
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